The advantages of franchise ownership are undeniable, and rightly so.  For the aspiring entrepreneur eager to start up a successful business, franchising affords some significant benefits over independent ownership.  However, franchisors do vary widely.  Picking a winner such as the internationally celebrated Filta Group can give you a definite leg up in realizing your personal financial goals.

Big Benefits

Purchasing a Filta franchise offers some distinctive rewards when compared to independent business that can greatly improve your chances of success.  The strong network of support available to Filta owners can mean success even in a distressed economy.

Franchisors like the Filta Group want their franchisees to flourish.  What benefits the franchisee usually benefits the franchisor.  This is why Filta strives to provide franchisees with all the necessary tools for success.  Filta offers support and guidance in all aspects from the basics of operating the business to advanced training to help enable the franchisee to effectively administrate his/her business.  FiltaNet and Filta’s toll-free call line offer a continually expanding source of assistance and resources.

Filta also offers a unique marketing tool, by providing customized van decoration for their franchisees.  More than a mobile business site, the van becomes a mobile billboard, allowing owners to prominently advertise their business in their territories anytime they are on a service call.  Filta also offers local marketing support and assists the franchise owner in the development of a local customer base.

A Perfect Balance

Not all franchisors are the same and not all offer the same strengths in all aspects.  When evaluating a company to decide if it fits with your needs it is necessary to assess what degree of support the brand offers.  This way you can determine if amount of personal freedom you can experience is tempered with the sturdy backing necessary to succeed.

Filta offers its franchisees an unparalleled degree of autonomy in their businesses.  The Filta business operates as a mobile van based service, making it possible to run your franchise from home.  Not only does this give a wide range of freedom to the owner, but also drastically reduces the business’s start-up cost as compared to site-specific franchises.

However, having such a broad range of independence does not mean that Filta owners are left to unsupported.  The Filta Group has an extensive and comprehensive network established to help sustain their franchise owners.  From everything from training and helping to build a customer base to overcoming franchise specific obstacles, Filta stands behind and supports its franchisees.

The Total Package

Filta’s mobile based service franchise owners a unique prospect.  Franchisees are allowed much of the freedom and independence valued by private business owners.  However, unlike autonomously owned companies, Filta offers the owner all of the benefit of a solid, proven means of conducting business and a strong support network that makes franchise ownership so appealing.  Filta offers investors a wonderful opportunity to shape their futures in a fast-paced and growing industry and provides the total package of independence and support that makes for a winning combination in the realm of franchising.

Since 1996 FiltaFry has been dedicated to improving the way that restaurants and other food service establishments approach the business of frying.  FiltaFry’s comprehensive fryer filtration and management service creates safer work environments, improves the quality of oils (and the foods fried in them), promotes eco-friendly kitchen solutions and helps its clients save money.

FiltaFry technicians work alongside kitchen staff and management to help their customers achieve a all-inclusive fryer management plan that extends far beyond the scope of tradition waste oil management.  This broad service provides an environmentally friendly onsite solution to all of their fryer related needs, providing customers with highly effective micro-filtration of cooking oil and vacuum-based cleaning of deep fryers.  This service encompasses all aspects of fryer maintenance, such as oil filtration, temperature calibration of fryers, and thorough vacuuming of fryers.  The advanced filtration system used by FiltaFry slows the chemical decomposition of cooking oil, extending its usability and improving its quality and taste.

How Does Micro-Filtration Work?

FiltaFry uses a highly advanced micro-filtration system to attain an incomparable reconstitution of used cooking oil.  A technician begins by pumping hot oil directly from the fryer through the filtration system.  Since heated oil is less viscous, filtering at these high temperatures results in a much purer final product.  The filtration unit then uses high pressure to force oil through a multiple filtration cycle.  Most filtration units that come installed on fryers are capable of removing contaminates in the 200 to 300 micron range. The FiltaFry method is capable of removing carbon fibers and other particulate matter only 2 to 3 microns in size.

During the filtration process you FiltaFry technician will meticulously vacuum clean the fryer itself.  This meticulous clean-up removes any trace residual contaminates that might degrade oil and leaves the fryer to function more efficiently.  Finally the oil, looking cleaner and tasting better after having 99% of the contaminants removed from it, is returned to your fryers.  As a result of the process your oil will last twice as long and taste like new.

The Benefits

No matter how meticulous your staff is about fryer use, the fact is they simply are not equipped to thoroughly clean and manage your oil and fryers with factor installed filters.  Microscopic contaminates that enter the oil work against it to chemically break down the oil and reduce its flavor and usefulness.  FiltaFry saves customers money by removing 99% of these impurities from the oil, extending its longevity.  As a result, FiltaFry customers can expect to see as much as a 50% reduction in overall oil waste.

What is more, when your oil is cleaner it simply tastes better, and that means better tasting foods as well.  When FiltaFry filters your oils you have the satisfaction of knowing that your fried foods will come out tasting how they are intended to, not like what was fried before them.  FiltaFry means happier staff, happier customers and a happier bank account for your business.

With more and more Americans opting for franchises as opposed to starting up their own businesses, one sector of the franchising industry has taken the nation by storm. Businesses that can be run from home are much more cost effective, require relatively low initial start up cost and afford a greater level of flexibility than most. Some, may require a little leg work, but for many, running a home based franchise is the way to go when it comes to being able to succeed and have a greater freedom.

Quite possibly one of the longest running and most profitable home based franchise is Filtafry- the franchise, run by Victor Clewes, CEO of the Filta Group has been offering franchisees a great way to not only run a business from home, but a great initial training and support program to help them on their way, as well. Requiring very little in the way of equipment and having that equipment provided makes Filtafry one of the easiest home based franchises to succeed at, if the franchisee is willing to work hard and be dedicated. The equipment that is needed fits in a van and the company provides twenty four hour tech support- so definitely one of the most communicative and supportive franchises around.

Also, with dedicated territories and a business manager who will come out to train new franchisees on the ways of not only obtaining new clients. Also offering training in keeping your home based franchise running smoothly, this is one franchise that really works with its franchisees to encourage success. One of the biggest assets to this service is that it really is something that all places that serve fried food can and usually will use- making it a desirable service in your area. As a weekly service, a Filtafry franchise ensures that you have plenty of work, and plenty of potential to earn. All run from the comfort of your own home, making it a positive step in the right direction for those seeking a home based franchise that will succeed.

In addition to being that valuable service, it is also an environmentally friendly one, something that has been a trend that seems to continue to pick up speed and grow as years go on. Filtafry also offers a newer service known as FiltaCool- a new, environmentally friendly way to control humidity in refrigeration units, yet another great service that can be offered and continue to maintain a standard of quality for both the franchisee and the clients they serve. If you are considering buying your own home based franchise, choosing one that works with you to ensure your success, has a great track record and is a needed service is one powerful way to make sure you have chosen one that can work for you just as much as you plan to work for it. Why not choose one that offers a much more supportive, long term service to clients that can continue to make you money years down the line?

Bio Fuels are making more and more headlines and this is leaving some to wonder just what is bio diesel? Images of people dumping their household vegetable oil in their gas tank comes to mind, but that’s is not even close to the case. Here, we’ll take a look at the advantages and disadvantages, as well as help some to better understand just why more and more businesses and franchises feel the need to latch on to this more sustainable fuel source.

Firstly, bio diesel is a diesel like fuel derived predominately from soybean or other vegetable oils, and sometimes animal fats. However, where most are finding that they can obtain their oils to transition to bio diesel is a stunner- making it from restaurant wastes by recycling the grease used in frying the food. One franchise in particular has made a name for itself in this- the Filta group has long been offering not only a service that prolongs the oil used in most restaurants, but also offering alternatives in waste oil disposal that are turning heads towards bio diesel in a big way. In offering this service, Filtafry technicians are changing the way that food service industry professionals are looking at their cooking oil. Where before, it seemed more budget conscious to simply train someone to clean the fryers, many are now realizing that it is simply more cost effective to hire outside help. Also, this has the added benefit of an environmentally way to bring about a better balance in cost verses profit.

“The price of cooking oil, as a commodity, has sky-rocketed in the last year and the need for efficient operations has never been greater,” says Victor Clewes, CEO of The Filta Group, an international Eco-friendly services company which specializes in cooking oil filtration and recycling. “Filtering and re-using cooking oil reduces oil purchases. Reduced oil purchases result in cost and waste savings. Then, when the oil can no longer be used for cooking, it becomes bio-fuel. Nothing is wasted. It’s used in the food we eat, then in the cars we drive. It becomes a net positive for the environment as well as a restaurant’s bottom line.”

The formula is rather simple, the life of the oil goes in stages- cooked with new, again after filtering, and then, once it has reached the end of its lifecycle, it is collected and used in the process of making valuable and Eco friendly biodiesel. Chef Miles Kline runs the T Rex BBQ in Berkley, CA, and he, too has made the change. “The price was so low, recycling didn’t matter,” Kline says of his thoughts on the transition, initially. He switched to more expensive peanut oil to accommodate the oil filtering company and was surprised to realize a noticeable cost savings. “We pay $90, $95 a week and started saving instantly,” mostly because the filtering system enables the operation to use 40% less oil. Afterward, the restaurant proudly notes that the oil is recycled into fuel. The decision to recycle oil was “both economical and environmental” Kline says.

By now you probably have a pretty good understanding of what Filta is.  You have seen what the FiltaFry and FiltaCool products and services have to offer commercial kitchens, and understand the benefits that they offer.  You have also read about the many benefits of Filta franchise ownership and about how the Filta Group can help you realize your dreams of business ownership and financial security.  Now let’s take a look at some of the common questions asked by individuals contemplating Filta franchise ownership.

What is the Filta Business Plan?

The objective of Filta Franchise owners is to provide customers with the environmentally friendly FiltaFry and FiltaCool products and services, which serve to reduce expenses, decrease customer liabilities, and improve the quality of their food products.  FiltaFry offers a comprehensive fryer management service, focusing on fryer maintenance and cooking oil filtration.  FiltaCool provides a cooler filter service that regulates humidity, controls odor, reduces gas buildup and extends the life of perishable food items.

How Long Do Service Calls Take?

The average call time to provide the FiltaFry service ranges between 45-60 minutes.  Of course, the actual time required to filter oils and clean fryers is dependent on the number of fryers in use at any given location.  FiltaCool services require much less time.  It takes about 25 minutes to initially install the FiltaCool filter brackets.  After that, filters take only a couple of minutes to switch out, and only need to be changed every 3 months.
How Much Does it Cost to Start a Filta Franchise?
The current cost of start-up for a single unit Filta Franchise is $79,500.  This is broken down into 3 distinct fees:  The territory fee, to establish a franchise’s area of operation is $31,000.  The Opening Package, which includes everything needed to operate the franchise, as well as all of the initial classroom and in-field training runs at $43,500.  There is an also an additional $5,000 marketing fund fee.

What Are the Ongoing Costs of Running a Filta Franchise?

There are certain monthly costs associated with Filta franchise ownership.  There are monthly franchising fees of an 8% royalty fee and 2% advertising fee.  There are also ongoing costs of $46 for intranet/Quickbook fees and a $408 cartridge fee (per MFU).  Filta owners are also responsible for van and equipment maintenance, gas and other travel expenses, office expenses, insurance, lease payments, etc.

What Support Does Filta Offer?

As part of the Opening Package, new Filta owners are provided with a comprehensive 2 week training course.  This training includes both classroom education, as well as real life in-field training with an experienced Filta mentor.  Filta also assigns a Business Development Manager to the franchisee.  This BDM works alongside the franchisee during business start-up to establish a strong repeat customer base within the franchisee’s territory.  Filta also provides technical support through its toll-free helpline, and provides the full support of a Regional Developer to help franchisees along the way.  Lastly, Filta’s superb web resource, FiltaNet, puts a world of knowledge and practical peer support at the fingertips of each Filta franchisee operating in the U.S. and Canada.

Filta Environmental Kitchen Solutions offers an exciting and appealing prospect for able investors looking for a hands-on business investment.  With a high degree of flexibility and plenty of room for growth, it’s no wonder that Filta has created such a buzz amongst entrepreneurs in the food service and waste oil management industries.  So what is Filta and what can it offer you as an aspiring business owner?

FiltaFry

FiltaFry is the lynchpin of the Filta brand.  Established in the U.K. in 1996, the FiltaFry service has since become a household name.  As a Filta owner you will provide the FiltaFry fryer and oil maintenance service to each customer in your territory once or twice a week.

You calculate your FiltaFry service charge based on the amount of oil that is to be filtered for your customer’s location.  As such, the value any given job varies a little.  The average service charge per call is $66.85 and takes about an hour.

FiltaCool

If you customers use commercial coolers (and most do), then you also have the opportunity to provide them with the FiltaCool service.  This service provides many of the same benefits and savings to your customers as the FiltaFry service.  Your customers can lease filter panels from you for $12 per month for each panel.  These panels are very easy for you to install and only need to be switched out every 3 months.  You “de-gass” the panels at home and can then lease them out again.

Earning Potentials

As you can already see, there is a potential to make a substantial income from your Filta business.  Really you are only limited by your willingness to work and the number of hours in a day.  It is not unreasonable at all to be able to make 8 service calls in a day.

If we assume 8 service calls per work day (at $66.85 per call), for a 5 day work week then you are looking at bringing in $2674 a week, before figuring in expenses, just from the FiltaFry aspect of your business.  If even half of your customers use your FiltaCool service as well then that number skyrockets.  The average customer uses 6 filter panels in their coolers, at $12 per month.  That’s an additional $72 per month from each customer just from using your filters that you only have to take a few minutes to switch out every few months.

Room to Grow
These numbers, of course, are assuming a moderately paced standard work week.  If you are really driven in your business, then there is no reason why you can’t do substantially better.  If you’re willing to put in longer days and longer weeks then you can see some serious returns on your investment.  Once you’ve gotten yourself established in your territory you can even add more vans to your business and higher on technicians to do your service calls for you, doubling or even tripling the number of customers.  Filta really does offer you a chance to take control of your financial destiny in an industry ripe with growth and potential.

Filta is a globally recognized leader in commercial kitchen management services.  The Filta Group offers its franchisees a hard to beat combination of a strong business plan and excellent support, balanced against a wide range of personal freedom that is hard to find in most franchising organization.  Buying a Filta franchise is relatively inexpensive.  These businesses also operate at a low overhead, making them easy to run and maintain.  Obviously, this is a pretty appealing combination, and well worth a closer look for any aspiring business owner looking to set up shop in a market that is ripe for growth.  Filta also offers multiple start-up packages, for those that want to start small and work their way up, and for those that want to start their business out on a grander scale.

The Single Franchise Option

For those wishing to start small and grow with their business, Filta offers a single territory package.  Filta will get you started with a fully equipped business, and train you to be the sole owner and technician at a price you can afford.  There is an initial franchise fee of $31,000.  This fee establishes you as a Filta Franchisee and includes  the “Territory Fee” which ensures your area of business, free from any other Filta franchise operations.

After becoming a Filta Franchisee, everything you need to get your business going is provided in one convenient Opening Package priced at $43,000.  Your start-up kit includes your MFU, equipment , vehicle preparation, marketing materials, uniforms and all of your initial supplies.  The cost of your Opening Package also covers your classroom and in-field training, 10 FiltaCool presentation boxes, 100 sales slicks, 100 sales brochures, 10 filter packet panels, 10 filter packets, a degassing unit, and all the other necessary items for conducting your Filta business.

The Multi-Unit Franchise Option

If you are already confident in your administrative abilities and wish to start your business of on an expanded scale, Filta offers you the Premier Track Program.  The Premier Track Program provides you with two opening packages, complete with two MFU’s and vehicle preparation for two service vans.  You also get four full territory to conduct your business in.  As an added bonus, Premier Track members are provided with a full-time sales support staff member for the first 90 days of the business to help beef up your client list.  The cost of joining the Filta Premier Track Program is only $195,000.  Payment is made as a $95,000 deposit due at the time of submitting the Deposit Letter, with the remainder payable in eight weeks.

All Filta Franchisees, regardless of which route they take to success, are privy to Filta’s vast network of support.  This includes Filta’s toll-free help line, and the comprehensive online resource, FiltaNet.  Filta stands behind its franchisees and strives to help them succeed in their territories.  Filta is also constantly growing as it seeks to provide new services to the food service industry, and increase the earning potential of its franchisees.

The often quoted maxim behind franchising, “In business for yourself, not by yourself,” sheds a lot of light on the real appeal of franchising.  You get all of the perks of being your own boss – calling the shots and taking control of your destiny.  However, you also get all of the benefits of  having a pre-established name and business plan, marketing support and most importantly a strong network of support.   All too often, though, franchise owners fail to take advantage of the support that is available to them.  Sadly, these franchises often fail when perhaps they could have succeeded if only the owner had sought out the resource of knowledge and practical experience available.  How you can you avoid making the same mistake with your Filta franchise?  Where can you look for support when you get stuck?

Pick Up the Phone

Obviously your first line of defense when you run up against one of the inevitable roadblocks on your road to success is to avail yourself of the toll-free help line.  This number keeps you in direct contact with your Filta Family in Orlando, Florida.  Don’t ever feel that your association with headquarters ends at your business transactions.  Your franchisor wants you to succeed and will offer you any assistance it can to see that happen.  What is good for you is good for the brand name.

Talk to Your Peers

Another invaluable resource available to you as a Filta owner is a vast network of peers.  These are all individuals who have established their Filta businesses and have seen them flourish.  However, they didn’t become successes overnight.  They have all seen many of the same issues that you are seeing as a fledgling Filta franchise struggling to get off the ground.  As such, they are an extremely valuable source of practical, real-world experience in all aspects of running a Filta franchise.  Whether you are having some technical concerns, need tips on marketing your business to new customers, or just need some words of encouragement, your fellow Filta owners can help see you through the worst of times and can be a source of inspiration.

FiltaNet

FiltaNet may be the single most valuable tool available to Filta franchisees.  This comprehensive online resource puts the collective knowledge of Filta HQ and the many flourishing Filta franchises across the United States and Canada right at your finger tips.  Filta offers a number of ways for you to educate yourself and find solutions to whatever problems arise over the course of you day-to-day operations.
Filta not only provides you with access to all of the Filta literature and documentation, but also provides you a with access to the FiltaNet forums.  Here you can touch base with you peer Filta owners.  You can ask questions and get feedback from multiple owners, each having a unique perspective on the business and many whom have dealt with the exact issues that are concerning you.  You can also get information regarding major restaurant chains, to assist you in courting a local franchise as a potential customer.  Whatever issue you are facing, you can probably find a solution on FiltaNet.

Every day thousands of pounds of waste oil are produced by restaurants and other commercial kitchens across the country.  Since it is unlikely that fried foods will fall out of favor with the public anytime soon, much of this waste can be viewed as a necessary evil.  However, nearly half of this waste oil in unnecessary and could be prevented with proper filtration.  FiltaFry understands this pressing issue facing the food service industry and offers a way to reduce waste and improve efficiency in the kitchen.  Filta has been reducing waste oil production for over a decade, in most cases eliminated as much as half of the waste oil produced by its customers and saving them hundreds of dollars on cooking oil expenses.

How Efficient Are Your Frying Practices?

Most restaurant owners and managers never really assess the issues of efficiency in regard to their fryers, because most do not fully grasp the intricacies of their equipment and how its use affects the quality and longevity of their cooking oil.  Using a professional service, such as FiltaFry, can drastically increase the usability of your oil.  However, there are practical measures you can take on your own to improve the life of your cooking oil.

It is crucial that you never overfill you fryers.  When in use, make sure that you are heating the oil to a temperature that is appropriate for the food item being prepared.  Never overheat your oil, as this accelerates it’s decomposition and creates an extremely dangerous work environment.

Fryer oil should be strained regularly to prevent small pieces of food that break off in the oil from burning. Keep the fryer heat turned low when fryers aren’t being used.  Your FiltaFry technician will evaluated your setup and use to establish the optimum operational procedures for your restaurant.

Food Handling Concerns

Anything that you put into your fryers affects the quality of your oil.  Moisture getting into your oil can have dire effects.  Any food items being fried should be thawed in advance and dried.

If you process your own food, emphasize uniformity and care.  Equally sized food items will fry more evenly without burning.  Never season foods near the fryers, to avoid small particles falling into the oil.  Though FiltaFry’s micro-filtration system can remove these small contaminants, your factory installed filters will not.

Caring For Your Fryers

How you maintain and operate your fryers also has an effect on your oil usage.  Make sure you staff is well trained on proper frying techniques, as well as how to replace oil.  Shortening should always be packed tightly into the lower section of the fryer, taking extra care that no air pockets are left around the heating coils.  Shortening should be melted at low heat (applied only after the shortening has been packed).

Fryers should be cleaned by staff daily, to minimize risks of contaminants coming in contact with oil and to reduce safety risks.  If possible, have your staff skim the oil at least once at the end of every shift.  Your FiltaFry technician can help identify instances where your staff could improve your fryers functionality by altering routine and improving procedures.

Franchising provides a plethora of promising potentials to the optimistic entrepreneur looking to invest in and develop his or her own business.  Despite the obvious advantages, a wise investor will consider multiple franchising opportunities and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of each before settling on business.  One franchisor might offer more flexibility, another might offer a more reliable business plan and a higher potential ROI, while yet another may have a stronger network of support for franchisees or lower start-up costs.

Very few franchisors have a perfect blend of all of those key facets, though.  However, one franchising organization, the Filta Group, does come very close to the mark on all fronts.  Filta offers and exciting opportunity to join forces with a reliable and reputable franchisor that provides an unique blend of freedom, support and fiscal practicality.

What is Filta?

Filta has been making a name for itself in the food service industry for well over a decade now.  What began as an humble effort to help businesses manage their fryers and waste oil in a more efficient and effective way has since grown to encompass multiple aspects of the “behind the scenes” operations of today’s commercial kitchens.

Filta provides restaurants and other commercial kitchens with a means of improving productivity and efficiency in an environmentally friendly and financially responsible way.  FiltaFry fryer and oil management, Filta’s flagship service has been helping kitchens run more safely and reducing cooking oil usage in fryers since 1996.  In 2008, Filta unveiled the FiltaCool line of products as well.  These low-cost, high-impact filters bring to the cooler all of the great savings and sustainability that FiltaFry brings to fryers.

A Thriving Business

Because of the unparalleled cost-effectiveness of Filta services, more and more businesses are turning to Filta franchisees to manage their fryers and coolers.  Filta owners enter into ownership with an already strong and constantly expanding customer base of kitchen owners and managers who are actively seeking out ways to cut cost, improve efficiency and lessen their negative environmental impact.  As such, the Filta services practically sell themselves.

However, the Filta Group provides its franchisees with more than just a sterling name and an invaluable service.  In the effort to see its franchisees grow and succeed, Filta provides owners with a Business Development Manager who will actively promote their business and establish a customer base for the new owner during the initial training and setup period.

Filta Franchisees

Filta offers franchisees a rock-solid base of support.  Filta franchisees are extensively trained, both in the classroom and in the field to be competent in all aspects of fryer and cooler management.  When you become a Filta owner you are provided with all of the tools necessary to become a success.  From operating your business to the knowledge necessary to effectively run and promote it, Filta give you the training and on-going support to excel.

It is easy to see why Filta was lauded as one of the fasted growing franchises in the U.S. for three years running.  This company offers investors a chance to get in on a vastly untapped and rapidly growing market.  If you are thinking about investing in your own business, then the Filta Group is a definite “must see”.